Children’s Museum of South Dakota | Brookings

Located in the heart of Brookings, the Children’s Museum of South Dakota is a bright, joyful world designed entirely around imagination, play, and discovery. Set in a beautifully restored 1936 elementary school building, the museum transforms learning into a hands-on adventure for children and families, where curiosity takes the lead and creativity knows no limits.

A Space Built for Discovery

Opened in 2010, the museum was created to inspire lifelong learning through play-a philosophy that guides every exhibit and experience. Its layout flows through spacious, light-filled galleries filled with color, sound, and motion. The building retains its original brick charm, but inside it feels like stepping into a world where everything invites exploration: buttons to press, levers to pull, puzzles to solve, and art to create.

Interactive Exhibits Indoors

The indoor exhibits encourage children to engage with science, art, culture, and everyday life in playful, tactile ways. In KidStreet, little visitors can run their own café, work in a grocery store, or take the wheel of a kid-sized car. The Splash! water play area lets kids experiment with currents and dams, while the Discovery Lab and Art Studio encourage experimentation through building, painting, and crafting.

Each room is designed to spark a different kind of curiosity-whether it’s learning how wind turbines spin, understanding how food grows, or imagining life as an artist, builder, or scientist. Every surface, sound, and material is chosen to invite hands-on participation and cooperative play.

The Outdoor Prairie

Outside, the Prairie Play area stretches across more than one acre, celebrating the South Dakota landscape with a mix of adventure and imagination. Towering above it all is “Mama T. Rex”, a life-sized Tyrannosaurus rex sculpture that has become a beloved local landmark-both awe-inspiring and playful at once. The outdoor space also includes water features, sand pits, tunnels, and bridges, where kids can climb, dig, splash, and invent their own games beneath open skies.

Community and Events

The museum also serves as a vibrant community hub. It hosts family programs, birthday parties, special exhibits, and sensory-friendly sessions designed for children of all abilities. Seasonal events like story hours, art workshops, and science days bring families together from across the region. The on-site café offers a cozy space for parents to relax while kids continue to explore, and the museum store stocks educational toys and local crafts.

A Place That Grows with Every Visit

What makes the Children’s Museum of South Dakota so memorable is its balance of creativity and connection. It’s not just a place for kids to play-it’s a place where learning feels natural, where adults rediscover a sense of wonder, and where every visit unfolds a little differently depending on a child’s imagination that day.

In a Few Words

The Children’s Museum of South Dakota transforms the simple act of play into something magical and meaningful. With its thoughtful exhibits, open-air prairie playground, and spirit of curiosity, it captures the joy of discovery that defines childhood-and celebrates it right in the heart of the Great Plains.